New kid on the block

After a stellar season with the Windsor Spitfires that earned him OHL Goaltender fo the Year honors, Michael DiPietro was at home with his family when the 18-year-old got a call from Warren Rychel, Windsor's general manager.

"He asked if I'd want to go to the world championship and I was so confused," DePietro explained. "I told him I wasn't eligible for the U18s anymore, even though I thought their tournament was already over, and that's when he said it was for the men's and I wasn't sure I was hearing him right. He had to tell me like three times before it sunk in."
Less than 48 hours later, DiPietro was on a plane to Riga, Latvia, to meet Team Canada for the start of training camp, before continuing on to Denmark for the 2018 IIHF World Championship.
"I was really excited, but I definitely had a lot of nerves too," he said. "It's a pretty big tournament and to be around NHL players for three weeks...I don't know anything and I'm just a junior goalie biding my time here and putting the work in and trying to take in as much information as I possibly can.
"I had a similar experience when I was asked to go to the U18 World Championship when I was an underager and was the third goalie there too," DiPietro continued. "I just tried to learn things from the goalies there and that's what I'm trying to do here. Not a lot of people get to have an opportunity like this, so I'm just trying to live in the moment and take in as much as I can."
The 6-foot, 200-pound goalie, known for his athletic style, said he picks the brains of fellow Team Canada goalies Darcy Kuemper (Arizona Coyotes) and Curtis McElhinney (Toronto Maple Leafs) about different kinds of dekes and save selection, how they warm up and take care of their bodies, and how to develop an edge to his game that will help him evolve into an NHL goalie.
But it took him a couple days to warm up to the idea of talking to them, let along being bold enough to ask questions.

"I'm really an outgoing person, but the first few days I was pretty timid and shy and didn't know what to say because how do you spark up a conversation with an NHL player?" DiPietro said. "Usually when you talk to your buddies or a new guy on the team, you talk about the NHL. Well…these guys ARE the NHL!"

He described the first time he stepped on the ice with them as an out-of-body experience.
"I'm skating around and I know I'm on the ice, but you really can't feel yourself skating. Then, you start taking their shots and you're just hoping one hits you," he said with a laugh. "The first shot I took was from Jordan Eberle (New York Islanders) and he hit me right in the head and he told me before we got on the ice that he shoots high, so I should have seen it coming, but it's something I won't forget. Then, you settle in and it's just time for practice."
While DiPietro is trying to make the most of practice, he's also taking advantage of watching his teammates live.
"When you watch on TV, they only show the goalies so much, but here I can really focus in on them and the technical aspects of their game and where they are in their crease compared to where the puck is," he explained. "There are difficult situations in every game and I'm watching the goalies to see how they can impact the game as a difference maker and be a deciding factor, but do it in a calm and efficient way. A lot of the NHL goalies can really differentiate themselves by how they're able to refocus on the next play no matter what happened before. So to really watch them and see how they might shake off a bad read or a bad goal has been really helpful."
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DiPietro is looking to improve his skills for the long-term in his career, but the soon-to-be 19-year-old also has his sites set on the short term. He not only wants to make Team Canada's world junior team - something that didn't happen last year - but he wants to be the starter.
"Last year, [not making the team] was definitely not ideal. Little bit of heartbreak there, but it made me a better goalie and a better person," he explained. "My whole life it's been about making this team or making that team and having a little adversity thrown in my face, at the time wasn't very fun, but looking back on it, it was probably the best thing for me. I'm going into this year really hungry for it and it will help me be better."
He added: "[Not making the team] helps you not be complacent and feel entitled to anything. Everything is earned and I've always had that mentality so I'm really grateful for the opportunity to try again this year."
One of the many benefits of being in Herning, Denmark, with Team Canada is that it gives DiPietro a preview of how IIHF tournaments work and some perspective on just how intense every game is and how important every point in the standings is. It's experience he can take with him should he be at the world junior championship in Vancouver and Victoria this December. He can also take with him the experience of facing a higher skill level in practice.
"I was expecting the speed, the skill, and the shot to be ten times better than what I'm used to, but I wasn't quite ready for the IQ. That's something that stood out to me right from the first practice," he explained. "In junior, you know what shot that guy's making on a 3-on-2 because their abilities at that level don't give them many options, but in pro they wait for that extra play because they can make that extra play and it seems like each time that extra play is different. So I'm trying to soak in all those details."
He's also taking mental notes on how to be a pro in terms of the players eating habits and how they take care of their bodies throughout the day for maximum performance and efficiency and that includes helping him simplify his routine and eliminate superstitions.
Finally, he's learning how to be a good veteran.

"I am the poorest guy here!" he said with a laugh. "But they've taken great care of me. I haven't paid for anything. I've tried to a couple times, but they won't let me. Really, they've just been so good to me. I can't thank them enough. It's been great being able to hang out with them and get to know them and learn from them. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I hope I'm in a position to pay it back to someone else someday."

While practicing with Team Canada, DiPietro is also mindful of his summer training. If he weren't at the world championship, he'd already be in the gym working on improving his strength and explosiveness. So he's trying to use this time to focus just on hockey and fit in workouts at the hotel gym in Denmark.
"I think this is a great starting point for myself. I have a lot of trips in June that I have to take and then Vancouver development camp and then world juniors camp and so I have a lot of things to be on my toes and get ready for, but this is definitely a good stepping stone to start the summer off on a good note," he explained.
"I'm just really excited to have this experience and gain a lot of knowledge from being here and it's just cool to say you were here as an 18-year-old goalie playing juniors.
He added, with a smile: "But if I get to take home a gold medal, that'd be even better."